Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-06-11

venience aud even greater risks to have tho
opportunity OF looking ON hcr--cr rather ON
her garments, for no living man there except
myself had over soon her face. At last wo
caught sightof the waving Of lights and heard
the trampof mon coming along the passage,
and In filed tho guard, and with them tho
survivors Of our would DO murderors, 10 tho
number Of score or more, on whose coun-
tenancos tho natural expression Of sullenness
struggled with tho terror that evidently filled
their savage hearts. They were ranged in
front Of tho dais and would have cast them
selves down on the floor Of tho cave like tho
spectators, but she stopped them.
"Hay," abe said In her softcst voice, stand;
lpray SO stand Perhaps the time shall soon
DO when 20 shall grow weary OF being
stretched out;p and she laughed melodlously.
saw n cringc OF terror run along the rank
Of the poor doomed wrotches, and, wicked
villains as they were, / felt sorry for them.
Some minutes perhaps two or three, passed
before anything fresh occurred during which
She appeared, from the movement OF her
head-for, OF course, we could not SEQ her
cyes-to DO slowly and carefully examining
each delinquent. AT last sho spoke, address
ing herself to me In quiet and deliberate
tone:
"Dost thou, o my guest, who art known In
thy country by the namo of tho Prickly Tree,
recognize these menf
say o queen, nearly all OF Them" said;
and saw them glover at mo as snid il.
"Then tell me and this company tho tale
whereof hnve heard.u
Thus adjurod, I, in as few words as could,
tal 49, H..
Of tho attempted torture OF our poor servant.
Tho narrative was received IN perfect silence
both by the accused and by the audience, and
al0o by She herself. When had done, Ayesha
called upon Billali by name, and lifting his
head from the ground, but without rising
the old man confirmed my story. No further
evidence was taken.
@Yo have heard" said She at length, In o
cold, clear voice, very different from her
usual tones; indeed, Il was one Of the most
remarkable things about this extraordinary
creature that her voice had the power Of suit
ing itself Ia a wonderful manner TO the mood
Of tho moment. "What have ye to say, ye
rebellious children, why vengeance should
not be done upon yer
For some time there was no answer but at
last one of the men, fine, broad chested
fellow, well on In middle life, with deep
craven features and an eye like a hawks,
spoke, and said that the orders that they had
received were not TO harm the white men;
nothing was said of their blnck servant, so,
egged on thereto by woman who was now
dead they proceeded TO try 10 hot pot him
after the ancient and honorable custom Of
their country, with view OF eating him In
| due course. As for their attack upon our
selves IL was made In an access OF sudder
srry, and they deeply regretted IL. He endeb
by humbly praying that mercy might be a.
tended to them, or at least that they might
be banished into the swamps 10 live or
die as IL might chance; but / saw on hts
face that he had but little hope of mercy,
Then came a pause, and the most intense
silence reigned over the whole scene, which,
| illuminated as 1t wis by tho Pickering lamps
that struck out broad patterns OF light and
shadow upon the rocky walls, was as strange
Q enc as / ever saw, even In that weird land.
There, seated In her barbaric chair above
them oil, with myself at her feet. was the
yelled white woman, whose awesome, power
seemed to shine about her like a halo Never
have seen her vailed shape look more terri
BILE than 1t did In that space, while she gath
cred herself up, as 1t were, for vengeance.
| at last 1t came.
dogs and serpents," She began In low
voice that gradually gathered power as she
went on, till the place rang with il, "eaters Of
human flesh, two things have ye done. First
| ye have attacked these strangers, being white
mon. and would have slain their servant, and
for that alone death is your reward. But
that Is not all Ye have dared TO disobey me.
Did not send my word unto 20 by Billali
my servant, and the father OF your house
holdl Hath 1t not been taught to ye from
childhood that the law OF She Is an ever fixed
law, and that he who breaketh II by SO much
as ono jot or title shall persist And Is moi
my lightest word lawl Have not your
fathers taught ye this. say, whilst as yet W
werc but childreni Well do ye know IL, ye
wicked ones. But ye arc all evil--evil To The
core; tho wickedness bubbles up In 20 like 0
fountain In the spring time. And now be
cause W have done this thing, BECAUSE ye have
striven to put these men, my guests, to death
and yot more because ye have dared to dis
obey my word, this IL the doom that doom
| we to: That ye DO taken TO tho cave of tor
ture, and given over to the torturers to Ereal
their will upon ye, and that on the going
| doisn of to-morrow's sun thoae of ye who yet
remain alive be slain by the hot pot, as yc
would have slain tho servant of this my
guest.
She ceased and faint murmur, OF horror
| ran round the cave. As for the victims, "a
soon as they realized the full hideousness Of
their doom their stoicism forsook them, and
they flung themselves down upon the ground
and wept and implored for mercy In way
Mat was dreadful to behold. !, too, turned tc
Aycsha and begged her 10 spare them, or al
loast TO mote out their fate In some less awful
way. But she was hard as adamant about 1t
"My Holly" she said, again speaking IN
Greek, which, TO tell the truth, although
baveekways been considered as good scholar
OF the language as most, found II rather
difficult TO follow. chiefly because OF The
change in the fall Of the accent--Ayesha, Of
course, talked with tue nccent Of her con.
temporaries, whereas we have only tradition
and tho modern accent to guide us as to the
exact pronunciation-"my Holly, II cannot
be. We're to show mercy TO those wolves
your lives would not be safe among this
people for day. Thou knowest them not
They arc tigers TO lap blood, and even now
they hunger after your lives How thinkest
thon that rule this peoplef have but O
regiment of guards to do my bidding, there
fore it Is not by force. II is by terror Nay
| the men must die, end die as I have said.